Design Beyond Form with Melis Duran
INSIDE THE ROOM
Sit down with our Senior Design Manager, Melis, as she explores the topic of design involving more than simply what we see.
“Think about the last time you walked into a really good hotel or restaurant. Before you noticed the furniture or even consciously looked around, you probably already had a feeling about the place. Maybe it felt calm, luxurious, intimate or exciting. That feeling is not accidental. It is design working beyond what we can see.”
“We experience interiors with our whole body. Light, sound, temperature, texture and even scent can change how we feel and behave. Something as simple as a scent can influence our perception of a space: citrus notes, for example, are often associated with freshness and energy, while warmer scents such as tonka or vanilla can create a feeling of comfort and familiarity. Our senses can also trigger memories and emotional responses before we consciously understand why.”
“This is why hospitality design is becoming less about creating a beautiful room and more about creating a complete experience. In a restaurant, the lighting can encourage intimacy, the acoustics can affect conversation, the texture of a table can create a sense of quality, and the scent can become part of the memory of the meal. In a hotel, the journey from the reception to the bedroom can be carefully designed through changes in light, material, sound and atmosphere.
Thinkers such as Peter Zumthor and Juhani Pallasmaa have explored this idea of embodied experience - the understanding that we don't simply look at spaces, we physically and emotionally inhabit them.”
